IPL 2023 CSK vs GT emotional rollercoaster: MS Dhoni’s twin sixes, Mark Wood taken to the cleaners & Kyle Mayers’ big heaves

Always ticking, always thinking
Even as the Yellove crowd cheered the home win, MS Dhoni was stopped Mark Wood who presumably was chatting about Dhoni’s twin sixes off his bowling earlier in the evening. Dhoni smiled, shook his hands, but his captaincy mind was ticking as ever. Just as he moved away from Wood, he spotted Tushar Deshpande and RS Hangargekar and immediately started gesturing the fields set for them. Both youngsters keenly nodded and followed their leader. After the previous game, Dhoni had spoken about how no-balls are unacceptable – in that game, Hangargekar was the culprit, and in this game, Deshpande bowled 3 no-balls and 4 wides.
– Sriram Veera
The great leveller
A span of less than 48 hours and more than 1,500 km can make all the difference in cricket, especially in its T20 format. It can bring the high-flying back to earth in a matter of six balls.

.@ChennaiIPL emerge victorious in an entertaining run-fest at the MA Chidambaram Stadium 🙌
They bag their first win of the season with a 12-run victory at home 👏👏
Follow the match ▶️ https://t.co/buNrPs0BHn#TATAIPL | #CSKvLSG pic.twitter.com/jQLLW61j
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 3, 2023
Mark Wood was well nigh unplayable in Lucknow on Saturday night, singlehandedly demolishing half the Delhi Capitals side for just 14 runs in his four overs. But on Monday, on a Chepauk pitch not known to be a speedster’s friend, the England paceman conceded more than that in his first over itself, as Devon Conway and Ruturaj Gaikwad got stuck into him. Full balls were driven on the up through covers, and when Wood strayed on the pads, he was flicked over backward square-leg for a maximum. Short balls were pulled through the onside with disdain, in addition to four es conceded when the wicketkeeper couldn’t reach a bouncer, as the over, the last one of the Powerplay, went for 19 runs in all.

A treat for the Chennai crowd! 😍@msdhoni is BACK in Chennai & how 💥#TATAIPL | #CSKvLSG
WATCH his incredible two sixes 🔽 pic.twitter.com/YFkOGqsFVT
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 3, 2023
Wood was immediately taken off and brought back in the 11th over, and he would have thought that his luck hadn’t changed when Conway slapped him to the long-on fence. But next ball, the Kiwi batsman succumbed to a splendid catch Krunal Pandya, bringing Wood some relief.
– Tushar Bhaduri
6, 6, Gone: the MSD magic
Phone cameras lit up like fireflies around the stadium. Flash on, camera on, video on – personal I-was-there-moments collectively collected a MS Dhoni-intoxicated Chepauk crowd. How they cheered when Ravindra Jadeja fell; they knew their hero will walk out. He strode out briskly as ever, took his guard. Is he too old to bat against hot pace? After all, he just turns up from one IPL to other. His fans had no doubts of course, but he was up against the world’s most hostile pacer currently, Mark Wood. The first was fast and furious and Dhoni went for the big slash and it flew over third man for a six. In the dug out, his team-mates jumped for joy. The crowd were never sitting on their seats, anyway. The next shot was the real crowd-screamer. It was a pacy bouncer but boy did Dhoni wallop it over midwicket into the stands. The place went berserk. But Dhoni of course was in control of his emotions, and was urging the umpire to check the height to see if the bouncer was too high. Typical. Next ball, he fell, caught slashing to sweeper cover and he walked out to a hero’s ovation. 3 balls, one fierce slash, one monster whack that will live in the memories of the Chepauk crowd.

That was one special entry 😎@ChennaiIPL fans, you do not want to miss this 😉
WATCH 🎥🔽 #TATAIPL | #CSKvLSGhttps://t.co/eIyQ41JckM
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 3, 2023
– Sriram Veera
Mayers may just..
Quinton de Kock beware. Kyle Mayers may be a temporary replacement, but in just two innings he’s already made his case for a permanent spot, and silenced the partisan Chennai crowd tonight.Ben Stokes’ shorter length was first pummeled – one heave over extra cover for four followed up a four and a six after Stokes pitched half-volleys in the slot. In the following overs, Deepak Chahar and Tushar Deshpande (whose 11-ball over did not help) saw fuller length / lower full tosses go to the boundary too, as Mayers displayed the full strength of his ability on the back foot, and manipulation of the crease.

ICYMI!
Kyle Mayers provided a blazing start to @LucknowIPL‘s chase with a 22-ball 5️⃣3️⃣ 🔥
WATCH 🎥🔽 #TATAIPL | #CSKvLSGhttps://t.co/HQuyCX1EyE
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 3, 2023
In 200+ run chases like this one, early aggression is essential, when the powerplay field restriction will allow for greater risk-taking. Mayers’ explosive batting style undoubtedly helps Lucknow at the top, especially with a slower opening partner like KL Rahul that needs time on the crease before he can get going.
– Namit Kumar
Dhoni, the tempestuous
MS Dhoni finally shook his head in disgust or was it in disbelief at the horror show from his bowlers and fielders in the chase. Tushar Deshpande first bowled a slew of wides and no-balls in a 11-ball over. Deepak Chahar had already slipped in full tosses and short balls, making a mockery of his own fields. Then when Ruturaj Gaikwad hurled a wide throw that went for four overthrows, Dhoni could be seen shaking his head. In the past, Deepak Chahar has spoken about how Dhoni can get pretty angry on the field, and how he has often been at the receiving end of his glares and outbursts. Once Chahar asked why he was the chosen one for the Dhoni anger: “He told me arre but I love you also the most na?!” Wonder who got the Dhoni treatment on the field during the short phase of chaos.
– Sriram Veera
The Moeen mantra
A few days back, David Gower, the graceful left-handed batsman, met with Mooen Ali for a chat for the Cricketer magazine, and the question turned to spin. “I always felt part-time… I never claimed to be anything else. When my batting was off, I knew why it was off. I didn’t have a clue when it was my bowling,” Mooen would say. Until Saqlain Mushtaq entered the scene as England’s spin coach. “Luckily I had the genius Saqlain Mushtaq to coach me. I did have a mindset that I could get the best batters out as I could bowl good balls… my best ball was good enough, I could get Virat Kohli out, or whoever … I loved bowling to Kane Williamson and Steve Smith, to say I got them out, but I didn’t really have a spinner’s mentality. I never woke up on the last morning of a Test thinking ‘I’m going to bowl them out today’.

.@nicholas_47 is going strong at one end but #LSG have just lost Marcus Stoinis’ wicket at the other end!
Moeen Ali gets his fourth wicket and the equation for #LSG now is 84 off 38.
Follow the match ▶️ https://t.co/buNrPs0BHn#TATAIPL | #CSKvLSG pic.twitter.com/DsDtXdCRjR
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 3, 2023
That may have been the case but in T20, especially in the recent years, there aren’t many confident off spinners out there like Ali. With that unique wry whip-up of a release, he can hurry the batsman, he can spin in more than they expect, and these days, has a lovely straighter skidder. And he is pretty effective when the batsmen try to go after him as Lucknow found out. He took out Kyle Mayers, KL Rahul, Krunal Pandya, and Marcus Stoinis, chewing his gum and spitting out the batsmen.
It’s good that the mercurial allrounder, who chose not to play Tests even though the new coach Brendon McCullum was interested in him, plays for MS Dhoni’s CSK. As he would tell Gower: “Meetings at Chennai are relaxed, while at other sides you can have four-hour meetings…MS Dhoni just gets players. Eoin Morgan was similar, always calm. They get what it’s like for players being on tour, not to be over-burdened. Cricket isn’t the problem, it’s off the field.”
– Sriram Veera
Innocuous, but effective
Like most of his compatriots, Mitchell Santner comes across as an unassuming fellow, one who is likely to go unnoticed on the street. The left-arm spinner is often surplus to requirements when New Zealand play at home, but is trusted to do a job whenever conditions turn spinner-friendly, especially in white-ball formats.
No less of a judge of players than MS Dhoni relies on the Kiwi to take care of the middle overs, and Monday was just another day when he didn’t disappoint. Bowling four overs for just 21 when the opposition is chasing 218 almost decides the game itself.
Santner and Moeen Ali – who got the four wickets, including those of the rampaging Kyle Mayers, KL Rahul and Marcus Stoinis – giving away only 26 runs in his spell – may look innocuous to the average fan, but have often been the thorn in India’s flesh with the ball, in different formats and in different conditions. Dhoni knows this very well, and hence could afford to hold back Ravindra Jadeja till the 15th over of the second innings.
– Tushar Bhaduri